Outsmarting Anger: 7 Strategies for Defusing Our Most Dangerous Emotion

by Joseph Shrand

Surefire strategies for transforming anger in yourself and others In this must-have resource, Dr. Joseph Shrand offers seven innovative yet remarkably uncomplicated strategies to help turn powerful anger impulses into positive, success-oriented actions. These brain-based techniques teach you how to recognize the many forms of anger we all experience, and how to tap into your brain's very own anger absorption zone the prefrontal cortex . Dr. Shrand also explores the ways these techniques can be used to harness the anger of others. When we learn to recognize and defuse the anger response of any individual, we improve our chances for success in every aspect of life. Outsmarting Anger helps you manage and decrease not only your own anger, but the anger of people around you so everyone can be more successful.

Genres: Psychology, Personal Growth, Self Help

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Dr. Joseph Shrand is Chief Medical Officer of Riverside Community Care headquartered in Dedham, Mass. He has been a Lecturer of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and an adjunct Faculty of Boston Children's Hospital. He is triple Board certified in adult psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and a diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Shrand hosts a weekly radio show on WATD 95.9 FM, The Dr. Joe Show: Exploring who we are and why we do what we do. He is the author of Manage Your Stress: Overcoming Stress in the Modern World, Outsmarting Anger: Seven Strategies to Defuse our most Dangerous Emotion, the winner of the 2013 Books for a Better Life Awards, 2013 Psychology self help category, The Fear Reflex: Five Ways to Overcome it and Trust your Imperfect Self, and Do You Really Get me? Finding Value in Yourself through Empathy and Connection. Outsmarting Anger has recently been republished in paperback due to demand. Among colleagues and staff, he is affectionately called “Doctor Joe,” as he was “Joe” in the original children’s cast of the PBS series “Zoom.”

Find out more about him at

Reviews

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to pick one of the seven deadly sins that I'm guilty of flirting with, then it is anger. Over the years, I've read many anger management books, including the classic "The Dance of Anger" by Harriet Lerner or "Living Nonviolent Communication" by Marshall Rosenberg. They were good helpful books but after finishing Outsmarting Anger, I feel I've just added a whole new level of tools and resources to help me overcome this sin! My favorite insight from the book is the concept of the Fourth F. What is that? Well, when we feel threatened, our limbic brain will go into Flight, Freeze or Fight response. The Fourth F is the fourth response coming from our prefrontal cortex (PFC). And what is it? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out :)

[Gemini · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this book does cover various scenarios on anger & what it stems from along w/ the various types of anger too. It's interesting to see how easy it is for one person to get set off vs. someone else. Because everyone has a different fuse or impatience level. Being able to see how the science behind some of this & how the prefrontal cortex plays a role. he does provide some different ways to look at where he anger stems from & how to handle it which means doing the actual work suggested. There are also ways to challenge yourself w/ this & make an actual workbook out of this book. Knowing how to interact w/ those that get angry vs. yourself when you get angry can be beyond difficult in either case.

[brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recieved this book to read and review it, and as much as I would like to give the book a good amount of stars I just am not sure if I can go above 2. What I do like about this book is that it is breaking down the different parts of anger. The author is telling you the differences between envy, rage, aggression and anger... but also tells you how to handle and deal with it. I just felt like this book could have been a lot better. For me, I need books like these to break down everything a little better. This books was just hard to get through, and it wasn't really what I was expecting either.

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever wished to understand why other people get mad at you or how to defuse that anger this book is for you. This is the kind of information we should teach our children either at home or in the classroom, it would make for a better world.

[Vivian Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book!!!

[Adam Gossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the most helpful thing I read when learning to deal with my anger as a parent.

[eric brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great informational read

Dr Shrand is a brilliant psychologist and teaches you how to not only control your own anger but also, recognizing it in others so you can defuse it. He includes his own experiences that most can relate to.

[Jody Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read for me. I got it to help me understand some conflicts I've found myself in. In the process I learned a lot about my own anger and some mistakes I've been making.

[Karen Brittle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had several interesting strategies for dealing with feelings of irritation and anger.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best book in the genre